Money Saving Madness for GM's

Morbog of Ghetto D · 1st April 2005, 11:22 PM

OK - Ive noticed a common thread in all conversations...

Game Masters need money to run games! Simple and true...I was thinking we could use this thread for spreading creative ideas on maximizing dollars for gaming. Its kind of the reason behind the discussion of suppliment reviews....THERE IS NOTHING WORSE THAN BUYING A CRAP SUPPLIMENT....Therefore I'm tryin to find ideas on ways to save cash on the things we love....Uh just make sure its not crimnal and short of out right thievery!.

1) Establish yourself as a "non profit organization" Maybe DMing could be considered a Tax deduction or a charity working with the mentally hadicapped?

We already have the best forum...GMF.

2) One Mans Trash-FREE STUFF. My buddies wife's company threw out 2 48 x24 write erase boards.......and My work has a massive 4 x 10 foot wrtite erase, that my boss says I can use for my upcomming "poker/eucre tournament" Im going to use it as the scale drawing for my EPIC undead battle in the city of Bissel/Pellack!

3) Your Friendly neighborhood library!
4) The "old Crap Box" and the "freebee" bin at the gaming store..I found this "mini module" for the "exhalted" game....
5) INTERNET- WOTC has maps and art work up the "wazoo"
6) Buy 3.0 Books

Nightcloak · 2nd April 2005, 01:55 AM

7) Ebay

I've picked up some really good deals on books including "lots" by some savy ebay watching. I got 9 Scarred Lands books (including 2 hard covers) for $44.00 + Shipping once.

However, make sure you check the shipping rates before bidding. Some people get a little crazy with their "handling" fees and make sure the seller has a credible record so you don't get burned.

8) ENWorlds review section is just plain awsome. If you want the scope on a book, just look it up. An average review may warrant you waiting for a deal to come along. click here for reviews main page

A good example of this is the Diablo II hand books. They were panned pretty good, but givin a plus for tons of new monsters and a unique magic item generator. So I waited and got it dirt cheap on ebay for a song. The reviews were right. Not that good. But the monster and magic item section was worth the $8.00 IMHO.

9) Post questions here. Us GMs will be more than happy to give honest feed back on the value of a book. You'll get diverse opinions based on everyones gaming styles.

ChaosEvoker · 3rd April 2005, 08:54 PM

I believe it is BoD who created a thread for product review and such that woudl be good for knowing what to buy and such

Morbog of Ghetto D · 11th April 2005, 10:53 PM

Can we squish this into BOD's thread.

8) Amazon-used books Cheep Cheep

Nightcloak · 12th April 2005, 01:24 AM

Morbog of Ghetto D:

Before I do something wrong here, are you requesting this thread to be merged with BODs thread? And which one should it be merged with?

Thanks

Blade of Desecration · 12th April 2005, 05:52 AM

I find this quiet hilarious! Not only do you guys think I started that thread, but it's creator does too! Morbog, you started that thread! THey's talkin' 'bout yo' thread! Haha, priceless!

Nightcloak · 12th April 2005, 05:56 AM

Well...

That certainly explains some of my confussion

Morbog of Ghetto D · 19th April 2005, 06:41 PM

:\

Please cancel any merging of my cool thread with BOD...

Morbog of Ghetto D · 22nd April 2005, 06:48 PM

I think thats...It may be Gaming Quarterly....but anyhoo..

ITS FREE at my gaming store...Sure its a little outdated but Everytime I get it I find some really coool ideas...

The Winter Edition has an intersting adaptation of Ars Magica rules, and most significantly
a COST comparison of miniature paints....Suprise Games Workshop is the least bang for your buck...

I found a new store that caries the Adikolor, and the Valejo paints....Better paint,more colors,more product for the price!...
If I had the technology I would put the article here or in a link or something....

Can anyone suggest a way for me to link/input this info?

Anyway if you see the magazine ...pickem up....

The last one I found discussed the 3 different styles of RPG playing and it helped me better understand my campaign.

derbacher · 21st July 2005, 03:36 AM

I'm on a mission to breath some life back into these forums. I'm starting here.

My best money saver involves printing up my own monster counters to use on the battlemat. I created an image 7' by 10' at 72dpi jpg to serve as a frame. Simply take any artwork you have, size it to fit in a one inch square at 72dpi in your favorite paint program (I use Paint Shop Pro), and paste it in. You get 70 counters to a sheet. Print them out on cardstock and voila! Instant counters.

This part is a little more expensive, but makes things easier to use. Go to a craft supply store that carries scrapbooking tools. Buy a Marvy-Uchida 1' hole punch. Cut your counters into strips and punch them out with the hole punch. Now glue them to a 1' steel fender washer. The washers are around $6.00 for a box of 100 at the local hardware store. The hole punch can probably be had for $7.00 or so. I use a simple Avery glue stick to put them together. This makes your counter easy to handle and move around the battlemat.

I have around 700 of these now. It's great when the players see what the monster looks like. And free art is everywhere! WoTC has art galleries posted for most of their products. I use ETools, so I have access to all the art from the core books. Lots of free galleris exist on the internet. Counter Collection Digital from Fiery Dragon Productions is a great source, but at an additional cost. This is a lot cheaper than buying minis!

I have attached my frame file for anyone who wants to take a crack at this. Go to it!